Delta: A follow up to the I don't have a title's
by Dr. Eminem
Summary: Jack has nothing left to live for but he does have one thing left to lose. need to have read all 3 of no titles fics.
1. Default Chapter

AUTHOR NOTE: Ok I'm sorry I might get some things wrong because I only know for sure the Air Force ranks and procedures so I might get them a little wrong. If I do please point it out to me. I wish Jack had been in the AF cuz this would have made my life easier and I know what, if any Army/Marines are reading this what they would say to me about that.

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The alarm clock went off and he crawled out of the bed. Waking up at the crack of dawn, before the crack of dawn he thought to himself bitterly, was hard. If the recruits had only known how hard it was on the person riding them they would probably grumble less. He was twice the age of some of these young men and women and he could still out run them and out do them every step of the way he had made sure of that. He looked at himself in the mirror looking over all the different scars he had accumulated over the years. He felt the one right under his right arm pit. The memory of how he got that coming back to him. He quickly pushed it out as he heard a knock on his door, it was master sergeant (MSgt.) Dan Richmond coming to get him as he did every morning. Jack had worked well with the enlisted man for over a year now. Dan had been use to people pushing him around, as the officers always seemed to, but Jack was different he actually listened and treated Dan with respect, and when they weren't around the recruits Jack had allowed him to call him Jack and was extremely laid back for a Major in the Army.

Jack threw on his PT (physical training) clothes on and walked to the door. "Morning." Jack had said the same thing ever morning and got the same reply.

"Sir it's a great morning for kicking some recruits asses." Dan would smile at him and most of the time he got a smile out of Jack.

"Let's go wake them." Jack had trained his recruiters harder than most special operation recruit trainers had. Most of the officers would sit in an office all day and did whatever they did. They usually had two sergeants (sgt.) out raining the recruits. Jack was a hands on type. He loved getting his hands dirty, and could not even begin to think about sitting behind a desk that was why they wanted him back and why he had come back. It was an two hours before reveille and Jack was standing in the men's barracks. He knew that the other MSgt he worked with, Zoey was already in the women's barracks ready to wake the handful of women that were going through the training. He looked at his watch and shook his head.

MSgt. Richmond began screaming at the top of his lungs for the lazy ass recruits to get out of bed. Running up and down yelling at any recruit that was to slow or just not fast enough. Most of the recruits had learned to move quickly even the quickest of them got yelled at from time to time just to set them off guard. Jack walked down the isle as the men stood at attention at the side of their made beds. He tried not to smile at how he had always found this part stupid as a recruit. He always had wondered why did it mater if he could quickly get out of bed, make it and than stand at attention at the end. If he went to war and an enemy attacked they soldiers were not going to hop out of bed make it, and than go out to fight. They would run their ars out of bed and outside to fight. But he knew it was just simple discipline and making them become alert quicker, or at least training at it. Jack finished his walk and said, "Be outside in five minutes. We are going on a run on this fine morning."

No one grumbled, but Jack knew they wanted to. He had only let them sleep about five hours ago, and he knew they had slept less before and it would all be adding up. He heard one of the guys inside complain, "He never sleeps. I heard he sits in his house and thinks of ways to torture us."

Someone else chirped in, "No that's not true. He use to work for the CIA and he was so messed up that they got rid of him and Delta took him back."

Jack smiled outside at Dan who had heard all of the rumors about Jack from inside the base. No one really knew the man even though he had lived on base for over a year now, no one knew him. He was very civil to everyone and said hello when he passed by not in uniform. Jack had rarely attended any social functions, and the ones he did attend had been mandatory attendance. He hardly ever went to the local bars to get a drink and when he did he was always alone. As far as Dan knew he had no family nor did he have any friends that ever visited. Dan didn't know what Jack did in his spare time and he had only seen the inside of Jack's house once or twice when he had been invited over to talk about work related stuff. Dan only noticed a small TV that looked like it was never used, and everything else was super clean as if no one really lived there. He had wondered about Jack for the first few months, but after working with the man he had learned that he was just a private person and not a real huge people person. It didn't stop Dan and Zoey from inviting him out to do stuff with them even if he declined every time.

Jack and Dan stood outside waiting for the recruits to come out and for the women to join them. Jack almost laughed when he heard Zoey screaming at the women, "Get your fat ars moving. We better be there before one of the male recruits are outside."

They had reached there before any male, again the women out showing the men as they had become accustom to. They had a lot to prove and there were only a few ways to prove it, and they showed it in their performance in and out of training. A weekend break was coming up for the recruits that night so Jack made sure to ride them hard today so they earned the break. When the men finally got out Msgt. Dan was screaming at them for being too slow.

Jack led them all on a long run through the base up and down the hills and started up the small foot hills before they turned around as it was almost chow time. When they reached the chow hall the recruits were all exhausted, Jack was to but he would never show it. He would always out run the recruits no matter how much it took out of him. He heard a few mumbling about him, but said nothing. He knew they hated him, most officers let the drill sergeant take over, but Jack had always taken an active role and he was the one that pushed them the hardest. Jack joined Zoe and Dan at a breakfast table they were talking about something that abruptly stopped once Jack sat down. "What?" Jack asked feeling paranoid.

"Nothing Sir." Zoe answered.

Jack looked at them wearily and began to eat. He was starving for some reason. He let the recruits enjoy a nice half hour meal and than got them up and out side again for rifle training. He continued to push them the rest of the day and finally at seven that night he dismissed them for the weekend leave. Jack walked back to his house which was not to far from Dan's. Dan and Zoe where with him, Dan asked, "You want to go out with us tonight? Grab a beer."

"Not thank you." Jack said. "See you guys Monday." Jack walked into his house and closed the door. He walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer. He opened it and sat on the couch. He was exhausted from the day, he knew his age was slowly catching up with him and he smiled at the thought. He closed his eyes and opened them he had nothing to think about at the moment. He got off the couch when he heard someone knocking on the door. He opened it and saw Zoe and Dan standing outside with a case of beer and Zoe was holding a big bottle of Tequila.

Jack smiled at the two who just walked in, it was not proper protocol for them to, but they both knew him well enough to know he wasn't going to get uptight about it.

"So what do you got to watch Jack?" Zoe said walking into the living room. Finding the beer on the table. "See you got started without us." She said looking through the few movies he had. She didn't see anything she liked and said, "Well the movies out of the question unless you want to watch another one of that Kiefer Sutherlands movies, which don't even get me started on that man. He was so robbed at the Emmy's this year." She smiled at Jack as he collapsed onto the couch.

"What's wrong old man tired?" She joked knowing he had to be, she was she had seen half the recruits debating going into town. "You worked those poor kids hard today. I was ready to complain myself Major Pain in the ars. I think is your new name."

"Just like Major Payne." Dan joked remembering the stupid movie.

Jack just smiled at them. He felt bad because he felt like he was holding them back from going out and having real fun. He wasn't fun.

"Where are your cups?" Dan said pulling the top of the tequila.

"I'll get some." Jack said walking to the kitchen. He returned with two.

Zoe joked, "What you can't count sir?"

"Count me out on that stuff." Jack said taking a gulp of his beer.

"What's wrong don't like your hard liquor?" She teased him.

"I love my hard liquior I had enough of tequila after an undercover mission in Mexico." Jack said suddenly not smiling anymore at the memory.

Zoe noticed this and changed the subject quickly, "Fine than what type of hard liquor do you have around this place? I know you officers stash them all over especially in your offices."

Jack scratched his head and joked, "I have an office. Why didn't you tell me I could have been sitting in there while you all were working your ars off."

Everyone laughed knowing Jack could never sit behind a desk. Zoe looked around quickly as she always had done he still had not put anything personal up anywhere. "So we just going to sit here and drink boss?" She finally asked.

"That was my plan for the night." Jack said sitting on the couch next to her.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Dan joked, he knew in reality Zoe was attracted to Jack, but not willing to act on it.

Zoe glared at him and said, "Funny. Should we leave you alone for awhile?"

"Ouch Zoe that was harsh." Dan said smiling at her.

They both noticed Jack was looking out the front window of the house turning a pale color.

"What is it boss?" Zoe asked when she heard the knock on the door.

Jack stood up, she saw that his legs shook slightly. "Give me a second." He said walking to the door and than stepping outside to address the young man outside. Zoe and Dan both looked at each other putting back the urge to run to the door and listen. They watched though and saw Jack's face turn from white to red.

The man said something that got to their boss because they saw him look down to the ground in shame, and lift his head back up. Zoe would have sword his blue eyes were glistening from tears. The man walked away from Jack back to his car than back up to the house with someone else.

Jack entered the house with the man and woman. He introduced them, "This is Chase Edmunds and Alberta Green." He said pointing at them than introduced, "This is Zoe and Dan." Dan and Zoe both stood to shake the other people's hands and felt the uncomfortable tension in the air.

"Zoe and I are going to make a run to the store for some hard liquor you will drink." Dan said grabbing Zoe knowing Jack needed time alone to talk to these people, who were clearly from a government agency he could tell by the way that they carried themselves.

"Thanks guys." Jack said as they walked out. Jack sat down and asked, "What do you want now?"


	2. Chapter 2

"WE need your help Jack." Chase started.

"No. I'm in the Army now and I'm working for them. I can't just up a leave I have a group of recruits to train."

"Jack we already got the Army's permission to use you. As a matter of fact everyone we are using is Army. Your orders came to your office today, but you weren't there." Alberta said.

Jack knew he couldn't refused if the Army ordered it he would have to do it. He didn't think about that when he took the job again. "What is it?" He said in defeat.

Dan and Zoe where in the car when finally one of them spoke, "How much do you know about Jack and his past?" Zoe asked Dan.

"Not a hole lot. He was in Delta while in the Army. A captain I think than he left to work for a government agency. He left the agency after so many years and came back here. Anything else you know?"

"Well I heard from a friend in records he's a widower and he lost his daughter not to long ago. He worked for CTU which was a part of the CIA and has done some pretty heroic things. I found an old article in the news paper when I was researching terrorism for one of my class's I guess he saved David Palmers life during the primaries."

"Really!" Dan said scratching his head thinking about that news. "Sad that Palmer had such a tragic fall at the end of his career."

"Yeah. He really was a good president." Zoe said. "Who do you think those people are?"

"Some people Jack use to work with. I got the sense that he didn't really like Alberta nor was he found of the other dude."

"Chase. Yeah. He wasn't happy to see them. Did you see him turn white when he saw them pull up?"

"Yeah. I thought that was weird." Zoe said getting out of the car and going into the supermarket. They were in the liquor area and she said, "What do you think was with the tequila? He didn't seem to happy after that memory?"

"I haven't a clue. Do you think he'll like some southern?"

"Better grab two bottle of that after the way he looked when those people came he'll probably need it." She said walking to the check out lane.

When they returned the people where gone. They knocked on the door and waited for Jack to answer. The door was cracked so they just walked in. Dan yelled, "Jack you here?"

Jack was sitting on the couch staring at the wall. He didn't hear them come in. Zoe noticed the state he was in and she walked over to him and touched him gently on the shoulder.

Jack jumped when he felt someone touch him. He saw them and put a smile on quickly. "Took you guys long enough. I was almost ready to fall asleep." Jack lied.

Dan and Zoe knew he was lying but let it past. "Sorry boss." Zoe said setting the bottle of southern down in front of him.

"Now you are speaking my language" Jack said going to grab another cup.

Zoe watched as he filled the large cup to the top with southern and drank a huge gulp without flinching afterwards, he had some practice at this stuff.

"Sir I don't want to speak out of turn."

Jack knew he was in trouble she was referring to him as sir, formal. "What is it Zoe?"

"Maybe you should slow down some." She said watching him drink the rest of the glass down.

"This is nothing." Jack said pouring another glass.

"Maybe sir." She said not wanting to argue to much. "May I ask what that was all about?"

Jack laughed, "They want me to go back to Kosovo for another mission." He drank the glass down again quickly. Already having about a fourth of the bottle finished to by himself.

"Why is that bad?" Dan asked not knowing any of Jack's history.

Jack drank more of the alcohol why was it bad he almost laughed. That place had screwed his life up so much once going back again wasn't going to help much either.

Zoe looked at Jack worried, the normal confident kind man was gone. Replaced by a scared angry man, she wasn't sure how to deal with this new side. "Sir what happened last time?"

"You remember a few years back when David Palmer was almost killed during the primaries?"

"Yes." She said knowing what Jack had done.

"The man trying to kill him was Victor Drazen. Palmer had ordered a Delta team over to Kosovo to take care of Drazen. He set them up to fail, to make it look like Drazen was dead, and than the team would be killed in the process making it a world new event so everyone would believe Drazen was killed. He wasn't of course and not all of the team was killed. Two people lived. One was kept in Kosovo for a few years and the other came back to the States and found another job." Jack said dryly as he finished off another glass.

Zoe was shocked knowing which one Jack was. She couldn't believe it, he had lost an entire team almost. "What happened to the other man?"

"He was behind the virus attack a few years ago. He's dead now." Jack said.

Zoe wasn't sure what to say. She looked at Jack and saw there was a lot more to the story. "You don't have to do it do you?"

"Yes I do. They went to the Army first." Jack said finishing off another glass. He felt the alcohol overtake his body.

Dan's phone rang it was his wife, "I got to go the woman is calling. You going to be ok Jack?"

"yeah I'm fine. I'll walk Zoe home." Jack said.

"See you Monday." Dan said leaving.

Zoe looked at Jack and said, "I probably should go too." She didn't want to leave.

Jack stood up and stumbled a little falling back to the couch. "Would you please stay for awhile?" Jack said he didn't want to be alone right now as the demons of the past haunted him again.

"Sure." She said smiling at him. She knew how wrong it was to be attracted to him. "How about we watch that Kiefer film after all. And I take this away." She said taking the southern bottle away from the table. Jack didn't protest. He watched her as she worked with DVD player and than the TV so the DVD would show. They watched it together joking through the movie. Half way through Jack looked over to see her asleep. He stood up slowly putting his hand on the couch to steady his drunken self. He walked down the hall to his bedroom where he found a blanket. He didn't want to wake her and he knew there was no way he could walk her home in his state. He raised her feet onto the couch where he had been sitting earlier and than covered her up. He went to his room and passed out on the bed.

The next morning Zoe woke up on the couch. She looked around not knowing where she was at first and when she found out where it hit her like a brick. What had she done last night? Did she embarrass herself? Did she sleep with him, that wouldn't have been to bad he was a great guy, and God really did break the mold when he made Jack, but he was her superior officer. She was dressed so she must not have slept with him, or so she hoped. She got up and looked around there was no sign of him. She called out thinking maybe he was somewhere in the house, "Jack?"

She almost jumped when the front door came open and he walked in with a wife beater on and a pair of running shorts. She couldn't help but stare at him she had not seen him dressed like that before. She quickly adverted he eyes and said, "What happened last night?"

"You fell asleep on the couch." He said walking inside clearly tired from the run. "If you wait I can cook you breakfast after I get out of the shower." Jack said trying to be nice.

"No that's ok. I better get out of here or people might talk. You know what small bases are like with the gossip." She said smiling trying not to show she was uncomfortable.

"Ok thanks for coming over last night." Jack said as if everything were peachy again. She remembered how he was last night and wondered what the sudden change of mood was for.

As she walked out of the house the man from the night before were at the front door and let themselves in after she walked out.

Jack thought maybe she had changed her mind but when he saw who it was his face went stone cold again. "What do you want Chase?" Jack said.

"I was suppose to come get you for a briefing." Chase said looking at him noticing the hostility coming off him. Chase didn't blame him he had been given a raw deal one to many times and he knew what the place meant for Jack.

"Let me take a shower." Jack said walking away to the bathroom. He knew it was a military briefing so he pulled out his dress greens (the green uniform Army folks wear.) He checked the ribbons on his service coat, his name tag, and his rank to make sure it was all perfect. He looked at his shoes that were so shiny you could see your reflection in them, and they weren't the permanent shine kind. He shined them himself almost everyday. He took his shower and walked back into the room naked letting the air dry his wet body. He looked over the uniform one more time and started dressing.

Once he was fully dressed and made sure everything was perfect he marched out of the room. Major Jack Bauer coming into play as the uniform dictated it should. Chase noticed this and looked away as if he didn't know the man walking down the hall, and he didn't know him. He wasn't the same Jack Bauer that worked at CTU and had a daughter.

"Ready to go?" Jack said finally breaking the silence.

"Come on." Chase said walking out to the car noticing some looks that they got from the neighbors. Chase was a stranger and clearly was not military which made him even more suspicious.

Jack got into the passenger side taking his officers cap off. No matter how hard Chase tried to start a conversation up Jack ignored him or answered with a simple yes or no. Jack was not in the mood to talk nor did he want to be there, but he had been ordered to so he would do it.

When they reached the main building Chase parked his car. They both got out and walked into the building. Chase watched as people walked by and saluted Jack who returned the salute, and even as Jack walked in the guards snapping to attention and saluting. Jack returning the salute again and carrying on his way. He watched as Jack snapped to attention and saluted a general walking by, and was again taken back to the days of being in the Army and all the protocols he did not miss.

They walked into the room and Jack snapped to attention once they were inside. The joint chief's of staff sat in the room. Jack knew the shit must have hit the fan if they were all there to talk to him.

"At ease son." The highest ranking one, an Air Force General and the head of the joint chief's of staff said.

Jack stood at ease, his legs square with is shoulders, and his hands behind his back as if he were at parade rest. His eyes following the man who had commanded it.

"Take a seat Jack." Alberta said when she walked in.

Jack looked for a command from the Air Force General who ordered, "Take a seat son."

Jack grabbed a chair and sat down next to Chase. He waited for the briefing to begin.

"Good afternoon Major Bauer." The Air Force General finally said once the door was closed and Alberta Green took her seat.

"Good afternoon sir." Jack answered.

"I know you are wondering why you are here and I'll make this brief as it is your day off." The General said looking at the man wondering if he had gone through half the stuff that was in his file, but he came highly recommended and he knew the area.

Alberta stood up and addressed Jack, "WE received some intelligence recently that there are some fractions from Viktor Drazen's regime still around, and they are starting to organize again. We were contacted by someone inside the new regime and they have given us a lot of valuable information."

"May I speak freely sir?" Jack asked looking at the highest ranking man there.

"Go ahead Major."

"With all due respect, what do you want me to do?" Jack said trying to get her to get to the point, he had no choice as to whether he would do it or not but he could at least enjoy the rest of his Saturday afternoon.

"What we need you to do is take a delta team over, unofficially and train an group that is wiling to fight against the uprising, unofficially." The General said cutting to the chase he didn't want to be there as much as Jack did.

"Excuse me I have one question sir." Jack said wondering why the big guns came in for this.

"Go ahead son." The General said knowing what the question would be he could tell the man wasn't stupid.

"Why is this so important sir?" Jack asked trying to remain respectful, but at the same time letting them know he knew they were hiding something from him.

"That's classified and on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know Jack." Alberta said enjoying the ability to command him around.

Jack looked at the General who just shook his head, "I'm sorry I can't tell you Major."

"When do I have to leave and who's my team sir?" Jack finally asked after a moment of thought.

"You leave next week after this cadet class graduates and your team is whoever you want it to be Major." The general answered.

Jack felt the memories coming back with a cold sweat. The last time he was there, and his last mission where he could have whoever he wanted all hitting him hard.

"You have till Wednesday to inform us of who you want with you. You will have a three man team that's all we can get in under the radar. As far as our government knows your on vacation and nothing more. If you get caught you are own your own major." The General cautioned.

"I understand sir."

"You will get more information from the young man next to you. If you don't have any more questions your dismissed."

Jack stood up and waited for the all the generals to stand and than he saluted them. They returned his salute and walked out of the room. Once they were gone Jack went back to a normal stance and walked out of the room.

"Hold on Jack we aren't finished yet." Alberta called.

"It's Saturday it's my day off." Jack said walking out of the room not caring that Alberta and Chase came following behind.

Jack crisply put his officers cap on right before he walked outside he saluted the guards outside the building and continued walking. He heard the footsteps behind him and said, "Don't you two have something better to do than follow me on a Saturday?"

Alberta ran up to him, "Jack you can't walk away from this you were ordered."

Jack stopped abruptly and Alberta almost ran into him because of it. He looked at her and said, "I'm not running. I'm going to enjoy my Saturday afternoon. I will deal with it Monday after PT training in the morning." Jack started to walk again.

Chase stopped and walked back to the car no really looking to walk the distance from the building to Jack's house. He pulled up beside Jack who was walking and said, "Get in I'll give you a ride home."

"I can walk" Jack said even though he was getting tired of returning salutes. Whenever possible he tried to stay out of his uniform or anything that marked him as an officer on the weekend.

"Alberta?" Chase called.

Alberta walked over to the passenger side and got into the car. She was angry at what Jack was doing, and she had no way of making him listen. "Let's go." She said angrily.

Jack continued to walk to his house until Zoey pulled up behind him walking.

She called out, "OH look at that a man in uniform."

Jack turned around and smiled at her, "Hey Zoey."

"I think it should be Sgt after all you are in full uniform sir. Need a ride home?"

"Please." Jack said getting into the jeep. He didn't want to walk the distance to his house, but he didn't want to ride with Chase either.

"What's it all about? Word has circled base three times and the newest gossip is that you are really a felon and they came to collect you again, that's among the recruits left behind though." She joked.

"They want me to go on a mission again." Jack said, "Back to Kosovo."

"Well isn't that great?"

"NO." Jack said not wanting to get into, "Last time I was on a Delta mission my last one was in Kosovo and it didn't end up good."

Zoey had heard rumors about the mission. Word was that he had sold out his men and they all died and he escaped. She didn't know how much to believe, she knew if it happened there was no way he sold out his men. "Who's going with you?"

'They left it up to me."

Zoey saw her chance to prove herself in a mans army. She smiled at him.

"NO." He said knowing what she wanted.

"Why not?"

"Because you've never seen action before." Jack told part of what he was thinking.

"And I'm a woman. Come on Jack I'm the best person you ever worked with you have to admit that. I know the job and can do it. Remember that time I carred Dan's heavy sorry ass all the way back to base during that training mission?"

"Yeah but it's not the same Zoey." Jack said when she pulled up in front of his house.

"Jack come on. At least think about it."

"I have. NO" He said, "Thanks for the ride."

"You are a sexist pig like the rest of them. I thought you were different, but I was wrong you are just like everyone else on the base, just better at hiding it." She said knowing she hit a nerve and not caring. "I'll see you tomorrow SIR." She stressed the sir speeding away before he could say anything.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack was at his front door when he heard the car pull up out front. He looked back to see Chase and Alberta, "Do you two ever quit?" Jack said opening the door to his house.

"Jack we have to brief you." Chase said getting out of the car.

"And this can't wait till Monday. Training some people can't wait till Monday?" He said from inside the house not bothering to close the door as he knew they would just open it and walk in.

"No it can't." Alberta said walking inside.

She started to follow Jack down the hallway when Jack said, "Unless you want to see me strip Alberta I'd wait in the living room."

Jack undressed getting out of his uniform and hanging it back up again. He dressed in an grey Army t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He walked back out to the living room barefoot he asked, "Do you want anything to drink?"

Both Chase and Alberta said, "Water please." Jack got down three glass's he filled two of them with water and his with Scotch. He walked out handing them their water and Chase looked at him, "Isn't a little early for scotch?"

"No mommy." Jack said clearly annoyed. "Can we get this overwith so I can go enjoy the rest of the day."

"Do you know who you are taking yet? They just need to train people there shouldn't be any action."

"Probably MSgt Dan Richmond." Jack said knowing he could trust Dan and he was a good instructor.

"And?"

Jack thought about it Zoey was great at training people, and she was the best, they said there wouldn't' be any fighting so why not, "Sgt Zoey." Jack said sitting back drinking down his drink.

"Fine inform them and have them ready to go out to dinner tonight at seven for a briefing." Alberta said standing.

"Can't do. Dan has a wife and children and he will probably eat dinner with them since he eats dinner with the recruits every other night. Try lunch tomorrow at the officers club. That'll be a nice treat for them. Reserve a room." Jack said in a flat tone of voice.

"Fine. Tomorrow than." Alberta said setting the glass of water down and leaving. "It was nice to see you again Jack."

"I'm sure it's all one-sided." Jack said bitterly he didn't want to work with them or go to Kosovo again, but they had forced him too, and he would do it because it was his duty, but he didn't have to like it or even act like he did.

Jack waited until they were gone to get up and find Zoey. He searched all over and finally found her working out at pool. Jack hated going there because he had to deal with other people, other officers, and other people. "Zoey can I talk to you?" He asked when she stopped her incisive swimming.

"Not right now sir." She said starting to swim again.

He walked over to the edge and when she came up he said, "Please."

"Not right now sir." She wasn't going to give in.

"When would be a good time?"

"Never sir." Zoey said not starting to swim laps again she had already gotten away with disrespecting him once, she was sure she wouldn't get much more leeway with the other officers around.

"I put your name in to go." Jack said looking at her solemnly he was worried about taking her.

"Good." She said looking at him still not budging she was still angry at him she had believed in him and he ruined it.

"I'm sorry." Jack said standing up and walking away. He already could hear the rumors flying about them and prepared himself to answer all the questions that would arise.

Jack was alone in his house drinking a beer when he saw Zoey pull up outside. She ran up to the door and knocked on it opening it a second later knowing Jack was home. "Just because you decided to change your mind doesn't change anything." She sat down by him and asked, "What's it all about?"

"Training some people in Kosovo."

"What's so wrong with Kosovo?" She had the rumors, but she wanted to hear from him.

She had a right to know if he was going to lead her over there, "My last mission with delta." Jack went into the story of Operation Nightfall where he had lost his entire team and was the only one left to survive. He didn't stop there though he went on to how it effected his life afterwards all the way to his wives death, and than onto his drug addiction that led to the death of his daughter, than his time with Nina, and than where he was now. It took him an hour to lay out his entire life, and he was drunk enough not to care at the moment he was opening up, but all the memories were haunting him now that he was going back to where it all originated from, and he was scared. Physically scared to face the place again, it was the skeleton in his closet he didn't want to look at.

Finally he took a breath and looked at her, he never made eye contact through the entire story, "I'm sorry."

She was holding tears back she knew he harbored pain, but never that much. She collected herself quickly and said, "Don't be. Never be sorry."

Jack took a long drawl of his beer and looked at her, she was beautiful he wanted to kiss her so bad but he wasn't sure if it was the beer talking. He knew it wasn't and he knew he couldn't. If they were going to work together these feelings weren't acceptable, but he thought them still. He thought about her as he looked at her beautiful face. He wanted to cover it with gentle kiss's. He wanted her. He stood up and looked at the clock it was supper time, "You want to go grab a bite to eat?" He said needing to move and stop looking at her.

"Sure." She said, "People are already talking about it mind as well give them something more to talk about." She smiled at him, her smile was lovely.

He smiled back at her genuinely. "You choose where. We have a meeting lunch tomorrow at the officers club. I probably should stop by Dan's and let him know later."

"About the mission, who else is going?"

"No one yet that I can think of. We are only going to train these people nothing more." Jack said praying it would be the simple.

----------------------------

They ate dinner at some diner in town both laughing away. Zoey had driven because Jack had already had a few to drink. When they finished supper Jack insisted on paying and she drove him back to the house. Inside the car there was an uneasy silence they both wanted the other one, but they couldn't there was to much baggage between them. He was her boss, they worked closely by each other, and they were getting ready to go on a mission together, a relationship would just cause problems. Once she pulled up outside his house Jack thanked her for the ride and company and said, "I'll see you tomorrow for lunch."

"Yeah. Thanks for the food." She said as he got out closing the door. Jack walked up to the house turning back to watch her drive off. He opened the door and walked inside. He undressed taking his shirt and pants off leaving only his boxers on he lay on the couch and turned on the TV hoping sleep would come soon. Half way through a really bad sci fi movie he fell asleep on the couch. He didn't dream that night something unusual for him usually he was haunted by nightmares.

Jack awoke the next morning when there was a banging on the door and he heard it creak open and hit the wall. He sat up to see Chase and Alberta in the door way. Jack lay back down looking at his watch, "It's six in the morning. We said lunch remember." Jack growled tired.

"We need to talk." Alberta said walking into the room noticing Jack was only in his boxers quickly averting her eyes away from his bare chest covered in scares.

Jack sat up and said sarcastically , "Well come in than." Jack stood up and said, "Excuse me while I go throw some clothes on."

Alberta watched him walk down the hallway studying the different scars that covered his back. Chase looked at her noticing her studying him and smiled when she looked back at him embarrassed. "Hard night Jack?" Chase called back.

"You would know since you were following us." Jack called back he hadn't mentioned it to Zoey nor did he care because they were just having dinner as friends nothing else. "What time did I finally fall asleep?"

Chase laughed he thought he had been sneaky enough since Jack never confronted him. "I'd say around three."

"Thanks for the three hours of sleep than." Jack said walking out of the room with pants and a black wife beater on. "What is so important that you wake me up at six in the morning?" He said sitting down wanting coffee really bad but not willing to ask them he was not going to be hospitable at six in the morning especially to them.

"The people you were going to train have all been killed." Alberta said looking at him.

"Than the mission is off." Jack said trying not to smile he felt bad for the people but he didn't want to go back to Kosovo.

"No." Alberta said Jack went to protest when she stopped him, "You have a new mission. You and the woman are going over to Kosovo together."

"Zoey isn't going." Jack protested.

"Yes she is she received her orders this morning." Alberta said grinning she had won this fight, "You two are going to investigate without outright investigate who leaked the information to where they were. WE had them hidden, and someone had to tell people where they were at. You are going to find that out while being undercover as what you are now only as a part of a team."

Jack looked at her flushed with anger. "She can't she has no experience in that field."

"Yes she does Jack." Alberta smiled even bigger he had never known nor did he have a clue.

"What do you mean?" His suspicion rising.

"Not now. See you at lunch we'll discuss them further we've already contacted Dan to let him know not to bother coming."


	4. Chapter 4

Jack got up after they left, he felt his anger overtaking him and he couldn't think straight. They got him again, and he couldn't do anything about it, he couldn't win no matter how hard he played the game because they always played dirty. He walked into his bedroom and found a running outfit and set off for a run.

While running he was thinking about what Alberta had said about Zoey. Who was she really? His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he heard someone calling from behind him he looked back and saw Zoey closing in on him. He smiled at her and slowed down to let her catch up.

When she caught up she said, "You're up early."

"Got a visit." He said running and looking at her trying to gage if she already knew it. Her face conveyed nothing.

"By who?" She asked noticing he was studying her closely she almost felt like he was able to read her thoughts at that moment.

"Some people."

Zoey shook her head Alberta must have dropped clues about her, and he was now trying to gauge who she was, well she was better at the game than he thought, "Who are some people?"

"No one important. Mission got changed." Jack said he expected she already knew, but her face conveyed nothing but what it should.

"Fine don't tell me. The mission got changed did you tell Dan?" She knew what he was doing.

"No they did." Jack said increasing his speed some for the final stretch towards his house.

Zoey took it as a challenged and increased her speed so she was ahead of him and for the last half a mile it was a constant race of who could be the fastest. When they reached the house Zoey was barely ahead of Jack. Jack was exhausted from the run and out of breath when he reached the door Zoey smiled at him.

Jack pushed past her walking inside grabbing a glass of water. She followed him inside and he offered her a glass which she took and drank the cold water. She stared at him he had a wife beater on, and shorts, and she though he had looked almost edible in it. She couldn't help but stare at the tattoos too.

Jack noticed her looking at him and he blushed. "I better get moving we have lunch in an hour." He said walking towards the bedroom.

"Jack." Zoey called out to him.

"Yeah" He said turning around.

"Thanks for the run." She smiled and walked away she wanted more but she couldn't god only knew how many ethics it would break.

Jack walked into the officers club in a pair of khakis and a black long sleeve shirt. He found Chase, Alberta, and Zoey sitting at a table all of them laughing. His paranoid mind thought they were laughing about how easy it had to implant Zoey, who he was now sure worked for CTU or something like that and had been spying on him since he left CTU.

"Hey Jack." Zoey said smiling. "I ordered you a Budweiser."

"Thanks." Jack said sitting down in the empty spot where the Budweiser sat. He took a quick gulp he'd need more to make it through the meeting civilly.

Alberta waited for the waiter to finish taking their orders and than she started with the briefing, "As you both have been informed the team you were going to train was killed yesterday. We believe someone leaked the information of their existence and where they were."

Jack interrupted, "So you want us to go over and find out who?"

"Sort of." Alberta said nastily she hated how he interrupted her. "What we want is for you to find the person, but there is also a rumor of a group that is helping the old Drazen men out. Zoey is going to infiltrate them as an MP." Jack went to protest but was cut off by Alberta, "You are going to be yourself and you can't do it because your name proceeds you everyone knows who you are. Therefore you are going to be openly investigating the leak, and quietly the group. This way we have a chance of finding them. Zoey will filter information to you about what she finds, and you will report back to me."

"And how in the hell am I suppose to do this in my current position?"

"Jack you just got loaned to CID and CTU for awhile." Alberta said.

"Great." Jack said sarcastically could anything go worse? "So Zoey is CTU?" Jack asked looking at her almost defeated.

"Yes." Alberta answered looking at him.

"Great." Jack said holding back his anger and feeling of betrayal. "Anything else?"

"Not really more information will come in tomorrow that's when you'll be leaving via a C-130."

"What time?"

"6 a.m." Alberta answered.

"Fine call me if you get anything else." Jack got up and was leaving when he heard Chase yell, "What about lunch?"

Jack continued on he didn't feel like eating with any of them.

Jack drove back to his house and locked the door behind himself when he walked in for the first time ever. On the base you didn't really have to lock stuff up it was safe, but he wasn't worried about anyone breaking in, he didn't want anyone to come in. He walked to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed exhausted from waking up so early he wasn't use to the long days like he use to have to deal with, and he was getting older. He closed his eyes and let his feelings come through. She was CTU, and everything was just an act. All he had felt for her meant nothing. He should have known better to even start to care about anyone else. He heard a knock on the door and just closed his eyes. He wasn't going to answer it.

Zoey called, "I know your in there Jack. Let me in." She wanted to apologize to him. She left the lunch after Alberta started to gloat about how shocked he had been. Zoey didn't know their past but she was sure it wasn't a good one. She wanted to snap on Alberta for telling him he didn't need to know, and things had changed after she meant him. Things had gotten complicated when she let her feelings and perceptions get in the way of watching him. She walked over to his bedroom window assuming he'd be there since he wasn't in the living room. She looked in and saw him lying on the bed his eyes closed, a defeated look upon his face. She banged on the window startling him.

Jack felt himself jump when he heard the pounding on the window he looked over and saw her. He got up and walked out of the room. He was just going to sit in the hallway when his brain said, "Bauer don't let her know she got to you than they won everything."

Jack walked and opened the front door Zoey was there and pushed her way in. Jack walked into the living room and sat down. "What can I do for you?" He said as if everything were fine.

"Jack I never meant to hurt you." Zoey said she was going to tell him the truth.

"You didn't." Jack lied.

"I never meant to betray you. It started out that I was just going to keep an eye on you because of your past, and it seemed like an easy task, but it's not so easy when you put a person behind it. I didn't tell them anything you ever told me. I swear."

Jack remembered the night before and fought back cringing he had told her all of that.

"I'm sorry. I really am sorry. I do care about you. None of what I've done has been an act it's all me."

"What's your name?" Jack asked.

She frowned that had been a lie, "Jen."

Jack smiled and said, "If that's all Jen I have to get to packing for tomorrow."

Jen walked up to Jack and grabbed him, "Listen to me at least. I said I was sorry."

"And I said you didn't hurt me. Now let me go." Jack said she was holding his arms he could very easily rip them away from her, but he didn't.

"jack you stupid bastard I care for you. I like you." She said looking him in the eye.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Jack said pulling his arms away. He didn't care anymore she had betray him.

"Don't do this." She said, "I know what I did was wrong but it was my job Jack."

"Someone once told me they were only doing their JOB." Jack said raising his voice at the memory. "She lied to me just like you. Now please leave."

"NO!" She said knowing he wouldn't do anything to make her leave. He wouldn't dare touch her. Jack just locked his jaw and walked away. If she didn't want to leave he didn't have to stay and look at her. He stormed out of his house she followed him. "Jack don't be a bastard." She said catching up with him grabbing his arm and pulling him to face her.

"I'm not being a bastard." Jack said in a soft voice as all of the neighbors were watching them now.

"Come back inside please." Jen said noticing all of the house wives outside watching them nothing better to do but gossip about the two.

Jack followed her back inside and closed the door behind him. When he turned around she almost jumped him. She started to kiss him using a new tactic to try to get through to him.

Jack didn't return the kiss and tried to move away from her. Jen stopped and looked at him she was almost ready to cry, but she kissed him one more time this time gently and Jack finally responded kissing her back.


	5. Chapter 5

THIS IS SORT OF SMUTTISH but my brain is mushed thanks to homework so I'm unmushing it by making it not really work yet turn bright red ï

She had him pushed up against the door he was shocked when he felt his pants come undone and her hands trying to go down his pants. He stopped kissing her and tried to move away but she pushed her hand in deeper and he almost gasped when he felt her hand on his penis. "Don't." He said not moving away from her. She pushed his pants down kissing him still, and he was returning it again. He said into her mouth, "Don't."

She had his pants off and his boxers slid down some. She kept going he was saying stop, but he was forcing her to stop and he very easily could have pushed her away. She kneeled down kissing down his chest to his belly button till she was on her knees. He stopped telling her to "don't." She almost laughed when she heard him gasp as she took him in her mouth.

Jack couldn't' believe the woman before him she was not Zoey. Zoey would never do this, how did it all get started. What led to this all of the sudden sexual act. (ENEMY COMBATANTS, DICKENSON, ORAL COMMUNICATIONS, VISUAL AIDS, PAPERS SPEECHES) He had wanted her to stop, he was still angry with her, and still despised her, but it was so hard. He had not had any in a long time, and he was long over due and it felt so good, and he had liked Zoey. He wanted to do this with ZOey, he didn't know who Jen was, but he wanted Zoey it had been hard all those months working together not to reach this point. Jack felt his legs go weak as he was close.

Jen noticed this and stopped she stood up and kissed him again, forcing her tongue into his mouth. She moved in position and pushed against him so that he entered her. Jack gasped again as he felt her surround him. She smiled moving back, "Your room." She grabbed his hand and lead him to the room. He stood by the bed and she pushed him down on it. She was in charge here, and she made it clear, and he did not protest. She climbed on top of him and kissed his chest until she reached his mouth. She moved so he could enter her again and she started to move in a rhythm while she continued to French kiss him. She moved done and started to suck on his collar bone, than she started to bite it as she moved quicker. She heard a small cry come from him and smiled, "Sorry." She kept going she noticed the hickie she left on his collar bone and smiled. She was getting ready to climax when she saw his face tears visibly streaming down. She didn't stop but she asked, "What's wrong?" She was worried but unable to stop.

Jack felt like an idiot crying but the little event brought back the memory of all the deaths, and all the pain over the year. He moved his hand and wiped the tears out of his eyes, and said, "Nothing." He grabbed her ass and turned her so she was on bottom. He forced his own rhythm on her and was rough yet still gentle with her and he was getting ready to climax himself when the phone rang. She smiled at him seeing the anger on his face, "Answer it." She said grabbing the cordless she saw on the nightstand. She handed it to him and he answered it in a gruff voice, "Bauer."

"Jack Alberta is Jen with you?"

"What do you want?" Jack said as he felt Jen take his nipple in her mouth and she bit down on it he almost cried out, but he closed his mouth quickly and tried to swat her away.

"You guys are leaving today." Alberta said knowing Jen was there.

"Great when?"

"Three hours. Chase and I will be over soon to brief you further before you take off."

"How soon is soon?" Jack asked trying to push Jen away as she kept kissing his abdomen.

"Hour." Alberta said hearing the noise on the other end.

"Ok." Jack said hanging up. "What the fuck are you doing?" He said clearly angry back to normal.

"Sorry." Jen said angry at him now.

"This is over. It all was a mistake." Jack said getting up. He walked out of the room and turned the shower on hopping in while it was still cold. He was washing his hair when he heard her walk in and let herself in. He felt her press up against his back and he said, "Don't even try. Last time it was a mistake." Jack said moving forward rinsing his hair. He felt her hands run down him and he said, "Stop it I'm not going to fall for it this time."

"Fine." She said clearly hurt. She washed up quickly and got out when he did. Jack heard the knock at the door and wondered where his pants were. His mind quickly said, "SHIT." They were at the front door he ran there saying, "Hold on please." He grabbed his punts and pulled them up quickly holding the door close while he did it happy that there was no windows there. He threw Jen her clothes and the towel he had his shirt was still in the bedroom nothing he could do about that. He opened the door to find Alberta and Chase standing there.

Alberta pushed her way in and Jack moved out of the way. Chase smiled at him but said nothing. Alberta sat in the living room and asked, "Where is Jen?"

"She'll be out in a minute she's finishing her shower." Jack said walking down the hallway to grab a shirt he didn't like the way Alberta was studying his bare chest. "That was a quick hour" He called back.

"Well you guys got to get moving and quit playing around." Alberta said alluding to that they all knew what had transpired there.

"I don't know what you mean by playing around." Jack said returning fully dressed this time denying everything.

Jen walked out a few minutes later and sat down across the room from Jack. She held back her anger they didn't need to know what happened, they could still deny anything happened now. "What's this all about?"

"You are going over early." Alberta said. "We didn't want to wait any longer the suspected team is getting ready to mobilize again for something. WE want you to find out what." She filled them in on the rest of the details. Both Jack and Jen listened carefully, Jack was looking for the scheme in it. There was no need to send both of them, but he couldn't find what Alberta's motives were. When she finished she looked at her watch, "You have a half hour to pack." She said smiling at them.

Jack excused himself and went to pack. Alberta offered to drive Jen to her house so she could pack her stuff. Chase was left with Jack. Alberta had told him she was going to do that in the car incase Jack tried to run away, which Chase doubted he would. Chase asked Jack from the living room, "So how have you been?"

"You tell me Chase you've had Zoey" Jack corrected himself, "Jen watching me since I started here."

"Jack what do you expect of them. They didn't know what you were doing anymore you seemed to bounce and shock everyone so many times they were afraid you'd go off the deep end and join the dark side eventually, and you have way to much information for that to ever happen." Chase said angry that Jack was angry with him like he had anything to do with it, but he had as the new director of field op's Jen was one of his people. He had picked her out knowing Jack would easily become attracted to her, Alberta had devised the plan and Chase had followed through with it.

Jack finished packing and walked out of the room. "Let's go." He said slinging the bag over his shoulder. He locked the door after they walked out and they waited for Alberta and Jen to come back. They didn't bother to talk during the time neither had anything to say to the other. Chase no longer knew Jack, and Chase knew Jack would be ashamed if he knew what Chase was doing now. He had gone astray from his mentors lessons and did things the way the "others" had always done, the "others" being what Jack use to label the idiots of CTU and politics.

Alberta and Jen picked Jack and Chase up outside Jack's house. She drove them to the airport and asked before Jack and Jen got out, "Any questions?"

"No." Jack said grabbing his and Jen's bags. He walked over to the Medical C-130 plane and up the steps placing their bags down. He took a seat and put his seat belt on closings his eyes. He was dreading go back; he was afraid he wouldn't make it back this time. That place had it out for him, he knew it was just paranoia, but it was a well backed up paranoia, and just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you he thought laughing to himself.

Jen took the seat next to him and Jack opened his eyes, "there are at least fifty seats and you sit next to me."

"You weren't complaining earlier."

Jack looked at her anger clearly on his face, "That was a mistake."

"Whatever Jack." She said smiling knowing he enjoyed as much as she did. She thought about reaching over and touching him, but there were a few other people sitting with them.

Jack closed his eyes tired still. He slept through the plane ride having nightmare of various ways he was going to die while over there this time.

Jen shook him awake when the plane landed hours later. Jack stood up and stretched he felt rested as he got off the plane carrying both their luggage again. Starting now they weren't suppose to know each other, and he was happy for it because he was afraid of falling into the trap again letting himself go with her like he had in the house. They climbed into the waiting Jeep that had a Private in the driver seat. "Sir. Ma'am. How were your flights?"

Jen snapped, "I work for a living private."

"Sorry Sgt." He answered quickly having heard that saying multiple times in his life. Jack smiled he had always found the saying to be true except for when it came to Delta. The Delta team every man worked as hard as the other, and no one slacked off or everyone was dead. He frowned with that thought, everyone was dead, but him now.

"Ma'am you'll be staying in a hotel in town we have commandeered. Sir unfortunately the MP's get special treatment and you get a nice tent on the makeshift base."

"Great." Jack said sarcastically.

"It's a private tent though sir. And the showers and bathrooms are not far off."

"Even better." Jack looked out the window it was Operation Nightfall all over again. Jen tried hard not to laugh in the backseat, she had gotten the better deal.

The Private dropped Jack off outside his tent and drove Jen to the small hotel, which was not much better than the tent. She ended up sharing a room with two other female sergeants.

Jack unpacked his bag quickly storing stuff in the trunk provided. He lay on the cot that sat in the good size tent. He had a table that served as a desk and he was resting his eyes when he heard someone clear their throat at the door. Jack sat up noticing a female Captain at his door. He sat up and smiled, "How may I help you?"

"You are the CID man correct?"

Jack stuck out his hand, "Jack Bauer."

"Nice to meet you sir." She said shaking his hand, she did not have to salute him because he was not in uniform and also CID men did not wear rank nor were referred to by their rank when not in uniform because of the issue of investigating higher ranking officers.

"May I ask who you are?"

"I'm the resident JAG here. I'll be your assistant for your stay. You can understand that most of my normal cases are the little drunken brawl so I look forward to something new." She smiled at him she was about his age, and she had beautiful green eyes Jack took notice of quickly.

"Good. Where is a good place for chow?"

"That would be the mess hall. I'd keep away from any local establishments except for the alcohol. Some of them aren't to found of us being her." She smiled.

"So the mess hall is it. Where is it at?" Jack asked walking out the entrance of the tent.

"If you don't mind I'll join you I haven't gotten anything to eat yet, and we could discuss the case."

"Sure. Lead the way." He said.

She walked him towards the mess hall she pointed at a smaller tent that was two tents down from his, "That's where I'm at if you ever need me." She smiled. "Hopefully they'll get the buildings up again. An enemy attack last week took them down that's why we're all in tents again."

She led him through the mess hall line warning him what to eat and what to stay away from. She found an empty table in the corner and they sat down. She started, "I figured tomorrow we would start questioning the MP's that were responsible for protecting them."

"Where were they at?"

"in the building that was attacked. A few of the MP's survived the blast."

"Ok. Who knew?"

"Very few people. The base commander, and the intelligent staff, and the MP's." She answered shoveling a mouth full of lumpy cold mash potatoes into her mouth.

Jack took a bite and swallowed the lump quickly before he gagged, "Any of those groups suspicious?"

"Not really." She answered noticing the look of disgust on his face, "It's a taste you'll acquire."

"I hope so." Jack said taking another bite swallowing quickly again. "So you haven't a clue out of those groups which would have done it?"

"I don't know for sure." She said.

Jack smiled and said, "Ok we'll figure it out." There was a silence between them for a few minutes and Jack took the time to shovel more of the nasty food into his mouth.

"Can I ask you a question sir?"

"Depends. What's it about?"

"Did you really lose an entire team over here?"

"Word travels fast." Jack said frowning.

"It's a small base sir." She said softly.

"No I didn't lose an entire team. One man other than me survived, but I didn't know it and I left him behind. He came back a few years ago."

"Stephen Saunders."

"Yes." Jack said looking at her wondering how she knew.

"When I heard I was working with you I took the liberty to look at your file. Including your CTU file."

"Interesting read?"

"Yes. You are one hell of a guy. A real life Rambo."

"NO I'm just a lucky son of a bitch." Jack said smiling. "What about yourself? What are you doing here?" He said trying to change the subject.

"Well I volunteered. This was the closes I'd ever get to the battlefield war is still an all boy's club. I actually went through all the Delta training when they let a group of females through."

"How'd you do?"

"They kicked my sorry ass but I graduated in the top of the group."

"Good for you."

"Not as good as you who graduated top in his class all round."

"Well I'm a real life Rambo remember." He joked.

"I'm glad you're on our side." She said thinking she knew how close he had come to switching sides on more than one occasion at least from his file.


	6. Chapter 6

They both finished and walked back to their tents. Jack said good night and continued to his tent. He sat down at the table and looked at the tent wall as the memories of Nightfall came back, all the dead bodies, the blood, and the smell of burning flesh so real as if he were there again. He was so far out of it he never heard the man enter his tent.

The man walked over and tapped his shoulder. Jack jumped up turning around ready to fight thinking one of Drazen's men had caught up with him in the woods, but instead there was a huge African American Sgt standing in front of him with the MP ban around his arm. "Sorry sir." The man said noticing Jack's state.

"What do you want?" Jack said agitated that he had saw him in that state.

"I heard you were here to investigate who leaked about those people."

"Yes do you have any information on it?" Jack asked noticing how nervous the man now looked.

"I might. But not here. Meet me at the front gate in ten minutes. Don't tell anyone you are meeting with me. You can't trust anyone." The man said walking out of the tent quickly.

Jack thought about stopping by Captain Trisha (I KNOW I FUDGE AND DID"T GIVE HER A NAME EARLIER STILL WORKING ON JACK"S DAD"S NAME) tent to tell her he was leaving, but the man told him not to trust anyone, and that included the man too. But his gut told him there was a lot more going on here than he knew, and so he went along with the man. He jammed his hands into his pocket and walked through the cold night towards the front gate. The men at the gate already knew who he was and asked, "Going out sir?"

"Yeah were is there a good spot to get some decent alcohol?" Jack asked standing by the gate waiting for it to open.

"Little America two blocks down." One of the men answered.

"Thanks." He walked out the gate after it opened. He moved a few yards down and heard someone fall in behind him. Jack didn't bother to turn around he kept walking.

The man from his tent said, "Keep walking to where they told you and than turn into the small alley behind it."

"What's all this about?"

"When we get there."

"You expect me to trust you."

"No that's why you have your gun still on you." The man said noticing the small piece Jack hid in the small of his back earlier when he walked into the tent.

Jack had almost forgotten about it he never remembered the piece until he got undressed at night, dressed in the morning or needed it. But he found it interesting the man had picked it up earlier. Jack reached the small alley and walked to the end like he was instructed. "So what's this all about?"

"I know who leaked the information."

"How?"

"I work with them."

"But how do you know?"

"They'd be the only ones. They are racist."

Jack almost laughed but listened.

"No seriously."

"How did they stay in than? And how did you find out and how do you work with them?"

"They aren't open about it at work, but I share a room with some of them and they have this little group. They've been weapons to the small uprising left, in exchange for drugs and other stuff."

Jack listened not sure if he believed it yet, but it seemed probable.

"I don't know how high or how many of them are, but they had to be the ones. I've heard them before, making plans. I followed a few of them one day, and I saw them meeting with some of the known left over fighters."

Jack was getting ready to ask him another question when a group of men appeared at the end of the alley they came in at. "DO you know another way out?" Jack asked looking but only seeing the wall behind him.

The man went for the door, but a shot rang out taking his kneecap out. Jack looked back down but they were covered head to toe in black with ski mask over their face and he couldn't tell if their faces were painted. Jack stood still with his arms at his side thinking about reaching for the gun.

The men got close and three of them kept their gun trained on Jack, and the other one kept his gun on the man lying on the ground. "What did you tell him?" One asked in a gruff voice.

"Nothin. We were just chatting about the cubs." The man said holding his knee cap.

"Sure you were." The man fired a round that went through the man's head killing him.

Jack stared at the men expecting the end of his life soon. Jack slowly reached behind his back for the gun when one of them noticed, "I wouldn't do that if you want to live Jack."

Jack stopped reaching and the man that killed the man on the ground said, "Turn around put your hands on the wall and spread your feet. You should know the position from both sides."

Jack complied with the order and he stood still as he felt a man search him for any weapons finding both the knife he kept and his gun. The man threw the gun under the big garbage can and studied the knife. It was the same type of knife Jack had taken of Ted Coffel. He put the knife in his own pocket and shook his head at the man that Jack assumed was a commanding officer of some sort.

Jack stayed in the position and he could sense the man approaching him. The man whispered in his ear, "I'd quit trying so hard Jack. As a matter of fact I'd just stay here for a few weeks enjoy the drinks, and maybe that nice little JAG lady, but I wouldn't try hard on investigating the case. If you know what is good for you."

Jack didn't answer him he just started at the wall. The man holstered his gun and sent a hard right punch into Jack's kidney. Jack fell against the wall crying out in pain. The man threw a combination of punches all hitting Jack in the kidneys. When he finished he let Jack crumple to the ground and kneeled down whispering to Jack again, "I'd take my advice." He stood up again and kicked Jack in the head making Jack's head bounce off the wall, sending Jack into an unconscious state.

"Grab the body." He said looking down at the crumpled man on the ground, "Thos delta people are pussy's." He joked kicking Jack in the ribs to make sure Jack was unconscious.

The men grabbed the dead African American and carried him down the alleyway. The looked out into the deserted street and quickly ran to the Jeep throwing the body in the back. The commanding officer ordered, "Take the body and burn it."

A man came out the back of little America looking to take a piss as the bathrooms were all occupied. He saw the man lying on the ground and walked over stumbled over more like it. He knelt down and felt the man's pulse. "Hey buddy you ok?" He asked in a thick southern accent that got worse as he got drunker. "I'll go get some help."

He rushed around the front as the back door was locked. He found some men and they came around the alleyway thinking the man was just seeing stuff until they say the man laying on the ground. They rushed over to him and scratched their heads. One man that was sober enough to think ran towards the MP station at the front of the base and got one of them to come back with a medical kit and a Jeep. The MP knew who Jack was and tried to wake him by shaking him, when that did work he used a capsule to wake him.

Jack came around confused and his head pounding. He blinked a few times and tried to ignore the throbbing in his head, ribs, and lower back.

"Sir what happened?" The MP asked looking at Jack.

Jack sat up slowly and looked over where the dead man had been laying he was gone. "What happened to the big African American that was lying there dead?"

"Sir no one was here." The man said looking at Jack thinking he just passed out and hit his head on the wall.

"NO there was a guy there." Jack said confused his head pounding.

The drunk southern said, "no one was there when I came out." Slurring his words to the point he was almost not understandable.

The MP helped Jack up and said, "Let's take you to the medical tent you look like you could use some stitches. Then we can take a report on it."

Jack moved over to the Jeep his leg's a little wobbly. The MP drove him to the medical tent. The doctor studied the bruises on Jack's back and said, "It's going to hurt but looks like nothings broke. You need a few stitches though." The man said mercilessly prodding the cut on Jack's head.

He sewed it up and said, "Take two aspirin and if anything goes wrong call me in the morning I'm going to bed."

Jack walked out of the medical tent. He spent an hour going over what happened leaving out what the man had told him saying the man never got a chance, and when he described the man the MP said, "That would be James probably. Yo Nick go check James's room. Sir we'll look into it and get a report to you tomorrow."

Jack thanked him and walked back to his tent. His kidneys were still screaming out in pain. When he walked by Trisha tent she came out worried, "I heard a nasty rumor, but it seems it was true. Are you ok?"

"Peachy." Jack said continuing walking towards his tent. She walked in and watched as he lay down on the bed growling in pain as his bruised back and kidneys sent waves of pain through his body.

"I"ll get you an aspirin I have a few." She said walking out and returning with an Aspirin. She asked him what happened and Jack told her the story also leaving out what the man told him he now knew he couldn't trust anyone out there except Jen.

"Interesting I've never heard of the group you speak of. They killed him?"

"Yeah." Jack said closing his eyes.

"Seems you got lucky again."

"Yeah." Jack sat up and said, "Excuse me I'm going to go take a shower where are they at?"

"Down at the end of the tents here on the right. That's the men's latrine."

"Thank you." Jack grabbed some clothes and a towel. He walked inside and it was empty. He noticed blood when he took a piss and took note if it didn't subside by tomorrow he'd go see the doctor again, it wasn't the first time in his life he pissed blood, and something told him it wouldn't be the last either. He took a shower enjoying the warm water while it lasted. Once the water got to cold for him to take he got out and dried off quickly dressing and walking back to the tent. He stripped down to his boxers placing his shoes upside down by the head of his bed and found his field weapon in the trunk. He loaded it and set it next to his shoes. He closed the door of the tent and turned the lantern out. He lay down pulling the covers over him and closed his eyes knowing his dreams would be haunted tonight, as he was back in hell again.


	7. Chapter 7

Jack awoke the next morning when a hand gently shock him. Jack thought to himself as he slowly opened his eyes so much for safety. Trisha stood over him and said, "Time to get up sir. WE got people to question."

Jack sat up groaning slighty as he felt the pain from the beating from the ngiht before, "What time is it?"

"Six a.m."

Jack grumbled and stood up forgetting he was only in his boxers. Trisha looked at him and quickly adverted her eyes. Jack blushed slightly and said, "Why don't you wait for me at the mess hall?"

"That would be good." She said exiting the tent quickly blushing herself.

Jack got dressed and walked down to the mess hall. He grabbed a cup of coffee that looked like black sludge and went and sat where Trisha was talking to some man. Jack sat down with his coffee and Trisha introduced him, "Sir this is Major Jack Bauer of the CID. This is Colonel Thomas Anderson."

Jack smiled and said, "Nice to meet you sir."

"Col Anderson is the head of the MP's here on base."

Col Anderson said, "Sorry I heard what happened last night."

"AH it's nothing sir." Jack said studying the man trying to figure out if he could have been one of his visitors in the alley way, but it was all to blurry for him to be sure.

"So I've heard about you. You have quite a reputation Jack." Colonel looked at his watch and said, "You'll have to excuse me I'm late for the morning meeting. Any of my people will be available at any time you need them Jack." The colonel shook his hand and took off.

Jack was still trying to get use to being a CID man technically he could call the Colonel by his first name and never had to refer to him as sir, but old habits die hard. "What's his background?" Jack asked taking a drink of the nasty cold coffee.

"West Point Graduate, he was a Green Beret." She noticed the look on face and had to laugh the green Berets and Delta had a long running the other side was a bunch of pussy's since they came into existence. "He volunteered to come here. He has an excellent record and is rumored for possible getting his star sometime this year."

"Interesting." Jack said pushing the coffee aside. "Where do we begin?"

"I figured we could interview the men in the hospital."

"Let's go."

"Now I haven't finished eating?"

"How can you eat that stuff." Jack said looking at it.

"You get use to it." She said standing. "let's go." She led him through the camp back to a makeshift building that served as the hospital. She lead him to a bed where a mans left side was covered in thick bandaging. He was awake and staring at the wall cleary bored.

"MSgt." Trisha said sitting down in a chair by his bed. Jack stood over the bed at the foot of it.

"Who is he ma'am?" The MSgt asked.

"This is Major Jack Bauer of the CID can you answer a few questions for us?"

"He's investigating the leak right ma'am?"

"Yes."

"Should I?"

"You are no way in any trouble." She said understanding the Sgt. reluctance.

"Yes Ma'am."

Jack asked his first question, "Can you tell me what happened that day?"

"I was inside the building on the second floor where they were housed sir."

"Who is they?"

"The resistance group sir. Well I was outside the room when I heard the sound of a rocket coming. I yelled for them to get out of there. They didn't have a chance. The first rocket crashed through the window. The blast threw me across the hallway into the room on that side. When I landed I was on fire and I quickly rolled to put it out. I must have had one hell of an adrenaline rush because I walked back in the room and they were all dead. All of them." The man paused the memory of the smell of the burnt flesh and the carnage. "I was on my way down with one of the kids she was still alive when the next rocket came. There must have been four of them or something cuz it brought the building down. I threw the little girl out the front and dived behind her. We were buried under the wreckage for a few hours."

Jack took note to ask about the little girl later when they are away from the man. "What about the others?"

"I don't know about the others sir."

Jack looked at the man and asked, "What direction did they sound like they came from?"

"The north." The man said looking at Jack wondering how that had to do with anything.

"Ok thank you Sgt." Jack walked away. Trisha raced behind him. Jack spoke, "I need the files on this. Anything and everything you have at my tent by this afternoon."

"Where are you going?"

"To look at the rubble." Jack said walking outside. "Where is it at?" He paused outside the door.

"Behind all the tents. You want me to come?"

"NO get that information in my tent."

"Remember what happened last time I left you alone."

"Just do it. I want it there when I get back." Jack said walking away towards the building. He found the building. It did not complete collapse just a side of it had fallen in. He almost felt like he was back in Desert Storm looking at one of the building that had taken a missile to it how only part of it collapsed and a huge chunk lay on the ground. Jack carefully climbed up the rumble. He was what he assumed was close to the second floor when he was out of breath. He was looking for something he just had to find it. He searched slowly until he found a small piece of metal buried under a huge slab of concrete that use to be the roof of this part of the building. He pulled it out almost stumbling when it came free. He looked at it. It was scorched but he could clearly tell it was a piece of one of the rockets. He climbed down the rumble to see Jen and a few other MP's at the bottom.

"What were you doing up there sir?" One of them asked.

"I'm CID." Jack said wishing he had a badge most CID people did.

"Do you have any identification sir?" The man asked.

"Not on me yet. Just started it today. As Captain Trisha." Jack said looking at the Lt. standing before him.

"Sir I'll have to ask you to come with us and leave that behind sir."

"Can't do lieutenant. I have pressing business." Jack said, which he did he had to get this analyzed quickly to see if what he thought was true.

Trisha came walking over she had the files in her hands, "Guys he's with me." She said smiling trouble really did follow him.

"Sorry sir." The Lt. said backing off. Jen smiled at him as she went away with them. Jack ignored her and walked down to meet Trisha.

"I think the female Sgt has the hot's for ya Jack." She said joking. "What's that?"

"A piece of a rocket." He than said, "Where can I find your friend Colonel Anderson?"

"What for?"

"I need an inventory of all the rockets the MP have." MP had rockets for various reasons (MAYBE MY STORY FOLKS NEVER SIAD THEY WERE BASED IN REALITY).

"Why?"

"Get him and the special forces guys. I want records from the past year of the inventory. They should have one once a week. I want them in my tent by tomorrow afternoon."

"Someone's a little bossy all of the sudden did you get some sense knocked out of you yesterday." She joked noticing he was getting angry she closed her mouth. "Ok I'll get it for you. Here are the files." She handed them to him and walked away she didn't expect to be go-for for him.

Jack caught up with her and said, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be bossy. I just hate this place and want to get out of here as quick as possible."

"You just need to have some fun Jack that's all it is. Tonight I'll show you some real fun. I promise it'll be better than the fun of last night."

"I think having a rectal exam would be better than last night." Jack joked.

"I can get you one if you are into that stuff." She smiled at him and almost laughed as she saw him blush slightly. "Ok no rectal exam's we'll go to little America."

"Sounds like the place to hang out."

"IT is they have hamburgers cheaply and they are pretty edible."

"Better than this food?"

"Yeah." She said. "I'll go get those inventories for you."

Jack walked back to his tent and called Chases direct line at CTU.

"Edmunds?" Chase answered the phone.

"Chase it's Jack were can I get something checked at over here?"

"Forensics?"

"Yeah." Jack answered.

"No one really I can fly someone in."

"Would you?"  
  
"What is it?"

"A piece of one of the many rockets shot at the building."

"How many were there?"

"I'd have to guess about five or six for knocking part of the building down."

"Ok I'll have them there by tomorrow evening." Chase said hanging up the phone.

Jack put the piece of the rocket locked in the trunk securely. He sat at the small table and started to go through the case file so far compiled. They already had statements from a large group of people, and Jack went through them one by one making notes in his notebook as to what he wanted to ask them. He was consumed by it that he never heard Colonel Thomas Anderson at the door.

Thomas cleared his throat and Jack turned around. "I'm sorry sir."

"That's fine Jack seems you were really working there got anything?"

Jack closed the notebook and said, "Not really just getting a feel for it."

"Here is the inventory you wanted from the past year." He set a large file down, "What are you looking for?"

"Just on a fishing expedition that all." Jack said not giving anything away.

"I'll get you a report for each one missing as soon as my LT. gets in from patrol he has it on his computer."

"Thanks sir." It was common for a report to be filed every time a large ammunition was used (MY STORY).

Thomas left looking back once as Jack went back to work on the case file. Once Thomas was gone Jack started to sift through the inventory. He took note of every time in the past year a rocket went missing. When he finished he had twenty in all that were missing. He found that interesting because the main part of the war had technically been over for a year now, and while there was still armed resistance twenty rockets used by MP's was a little overboard. Jack was writing some general ideas in the notebook when Trisha walked in.

"Still working come on we're heading out for some fun in Kosovo."

"Let me finish this." Jack said writing antoher paragraph before he went to the trunk and locked everything in it again. "Let's go." He said looking at her. She looked a lot different out of uniform. He couldn't help but stare for a second.

"Little America here we come." She said noticing his stare at her bare legs, and shoulders that her Army tank top and short allowed.

They walked down the block to the bar Jack had been knocked out the night before. They went inside and ordered food and beers. They found a small booth that was in a quiet part of the bar that had not yet reached it's busy hour. Their food came out and she started to ask him questions about the case. "What's so important about the metal you found today? I assume it's piece of a rocket."

"Yeah it's a piecie of a rocket." Jack said taking a bite of the hamburger that tasted so good compared to the food he had been subjected too.

"So you were willing to risk life, not leaving it behind earlier today why? What's so important about it?"

"It's evidence." Jack said taking a long swig of the house beer which wasn't that bad either.

Trisha thought for a minute and she thought she figured it out, "You think it is one of ours don't you?"

"What makes you think that?" Jack said indifferently.

"Because you are looking through inventories from everyone. And the way you are treating it. You think it was an inside job." She almost gasped when she said the last part.

Jack didn't answer her he just took another bite of the hamburger.

"You don't trust me either."

He still didn't answer he took a drink of the beer and than ate a few fries.

"You know you are going to have to trust somebody some time?"

"And when I do it's always the wrong person. You are better off just watching your own back and trusting no one but yourself." Jack said almost bitterly as he had learned that lesson the hard way.

"We can't work effectively as a team if you are hiding stuff from me."

"Who said we were a team." Jack said finishing off the beer.

She noticed how quickly he had downed the beer but continued on speaking, "Because we are out to find out who did it."

"Are we both?" Jack asked standing up. "I'll be back." He walked up to the bar and did two quick shots and returned with another tall glass of beer.

"In a hurry?" She asked.

"What?" Jack said defensively.

"Nothing. So you don't trust me and there is nothing I can do to gain your trust. Fine. I'll tell you what I find and you can do whatever pleases you." She said bitterly.

Jack drank the beer half the beer in one gulp. He set it back down and pushed his food aside. "The guy last night told me not to trust anyone." Jack said looking at her trying to read her.

"What guy? They never found him. As far as we know he's MIA. He left a letter to his wife saying he couldn't stand the war anymore and was thinking about coming home."

"How convenient." Jack observed.

"We are getting the handwriting analyzed now. There was no blood in the alleyway they found you in beside your own."

"What about my gun?"

"It's at the MP office. You can pick it up tomorrow."

"A knife?"

"Didn't find it." She said finishing off her first beer.

"Do you believe me there was another man in the alley with me?"

"Yes. Why would you make it up. And who beat you up yourself?"

Jack smiled and almost laughed at the comment his mind taking it the wrong way. "What is your opinion of Colonel Thomas Anderson?"

"He seems like a solid guy who loves his work. Why you think he's one of them?"

"No. Just wondering about him that's all." Jack said not knowing what he was trying to find.

"Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of. I'd like to continue interviewing tomorrow and you can help me track down all the rockets."

"Oh does this mean your trusting me?"

"No it means I'm letting you in on a few things." Jack smiled. "How many rockets do you think the MP would have used in the past year?"

"Five six tops why?" She asked.

"According to their inventory 20 are missing."

She raised her eyebrows, "Interesting. So you think it's an inside job?"

"No could be someone is selling stuff or maybe I'm just paranoid."

"I'd be paranoid, but than I got to know you better first."

Jack didn't know if he should tell her about the warning about the group of MP's he started the subject slowly, "Have you heard about a group of base that are Nazi wanna be's?"

"No. Not to my knowledge. Where is this coming from?"

"Something I heard the other day."

"Do you know if you can trust the man James?"

"Well someone killed him for something and someone sure doesn't want me investigating this. You know they have to be a pretty stupid group to come at me like that. Cuz now I'm almost certain someone has something to do with it on the inside, and before I might have found nothing of use or been looking for the right thing."

"Maybe they thought you'd scare easily."

Jack smiled, "I wish I did sometimes." He finished off his second beer and walked up and got her a new one and himself a third. He brought them back and set them down on the table when he saw Jen and some other MP's walk in out of uniform for a night on the town.

Jen smiled at him and winked. He turned away from her, and Trisha asked, "A friend of your?"

"No don't know her." Jack answered, "We flew over together but that's about all."

"Ah well I think she has the hot's for you. She wants your hot bod."

"Hate to disappoint her." Jack said smiling.

"From what I saw this morning."

"Stop there." Jack said acting as if he was going to get up.

"What's wrong Jack modest about all the scars?" She had noticed quite a few of them this morning even though she had been slightly embarrassed but the alcohol, which she had never been good at keeping, was helping her talk.

"We are going to drop this now please."

"Jack chic's dig scars. But fine. Whatever you want you're suppose to be having fun."

"I am having the time of my life." Jack said sarcastically finishing off another beer. They moved to the bar and Jack ended up getting into a shot contest with her. About ten shots later they both stumbled out of the bar towards the base again.

Trisha was hanging on to him as she was having a hard time walking. She followed him into his tent and Jack laughed, "Go to your own tent lady."

"But yours is so much nicer." She said grabbing his arm. She kissed him on the lips and Jack pulled away, "Wo where did that come from?"

"Sorry." She said lowering her head feeling rejection.

"You are beautiful and all, but your drunk and I'm drunk and." Jack didn't get to finish as she interrupted him.

"But I want this." She said looking in his eyes she looked almost sober.

Jack stepped back, "We can't. We are working together it'll complicate things."

"You like things simple don't you Jack." She said teasing him by reaching under his shirt rubbing her hands on his hard stomach.

Jack stepped back this was the second time this week some woman was trying to jump him and it was the second time he was going against what his body told him. "Come on we can't do this." Jack moved back farther.

"You know what you're right. Your too old." She said leaving the tent bitterly. Jack closed the tent door and lay down fully dressed and passed out on his cot.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack crawled out of the bed the next morning cold and had a ever persistent hangover. He walked down to the showers in the early morning hours. The cold weather making him shake slightly as he walked on the frost covered dirt path. He went inside turning the water on hoping it would get warm. He did not miss living on a base in a war like zone and he knew why now. The water got to what he figured would be it's warmest temperature and he got in quickly washing as he knew it would get cold soon. He was drying off in the shower stall when he heard someone walk in. He didn't think anything it was a communal bathroom. He was dressing with the shower stall door came open. He saw Jen smiling there. "What are you doing?" Jack said clearly irritated pulling his shirt over his head.

"Thought I'd visits and see what you have gotten so far and where better than an empty bathroom."

"Nothin." Jack said walking out. "We got to set something up to trade information have you gotten anything?"

"no not really." She said studying him. "I heard you got roughed up do you just call trouble?"

"I'm fine thanks for asking. I got to go I have to a field trip today."

"With the nice JAG lady? I heard some rumors about you two. You banging her?"

"No." Jack said looking at her trying to show he was irritated.

"Ok. I'll hook up with you later tonight. Are you going to be a little America again?"

"Probably. They have the most edible food."

"I'll hook up with you there." She left the bathroom getting a look from a Sergeant Major she smiled at him and kept going.

Jack walked out a few minutes later and went to Trisha tent. He called from the outside not wanting to walk in without being invited.

Trisha heard someone calling her name and she slowly came out of the alcohol induced sleep. She groaned when she opened her eyes. "Go away. Sir."

"Come on we got a field trip to go on."

Trisha got out of bed in the same clothes as she was in yesterday, she said, "Come in." She was sitting in the bed with her head in her hands.

Jack smiled he handed her a bottle of water he had grabbed before he came to the tent and than said, "You want some aspirin?"

"Please." She croaked taking the water from him. He grabbed the bottle off the table and opened it extracting two aspirins. He handed them to her and she threw them in her mouth taking a gulp of the water. "So we are going to interview more witness's today?"

"I wanted to go and try to find the spot where the rockets were launched from." Jack said, "From the reports it's north of here. I figured a clearing in the woods maybe. We could go look around see if we can't find the spot, it seems as if the MPs nor anyone else tried to find it."

"Not that I know of." She said standing up. "Let me go take a shower. Can you go to the mess hall and get some lunch to go and get breakfast if need be and I'll meet you there?"

"Ok." Jack said walking out going to his room first. He grabbed his cell phone and than went to the headquarters of the MP's.

Colonel Thomas Anderson greeted Jack when he walked in, "Jack. Surprised to see you. What can I help you with?"

"Came to pick up my gun. Captain Trisha said it was here."

"Yeah. Let me go grab it for you." The Colonel returned a few minutes later with the gun and said, "Nice little back up piece."

"Thanks." Jack grabbed it and wished the Colonel a good day and took off.

The Colonel called to him, "So where are you going today?"

"No where important." Jack answered as he walked out the door. He'd have to get a car from the carpool to use he thought about it and went there before heading off to the mess hall.

When he walked in a guy who looked like he still should be in high school was sitting behind a small counter. Jack smiled at him and said, "I need a car for the day."

"Sir I'd love to give you a car, but who are you?"

"Major Jack Bauer. CID."

"Sorry sir." The man said knowing now this was the man everyone was talking about on base. "What type?"

"A JEEP we'll be going off road some probably."

"Yes sir." The young man said more than ready to get him what he needed. "You going to look for the spot those rockets were shot off from?"

"Possibly." Jack said taking the keys from the kid. "You know anything about it?"

"No sir. I just know who you are and what you are investigating and if you're going off road that is most likely why."

"Thanks. I'll be back later to pick it up." Jack talked down to the mess hall to find Trisha already there and waiting for him.

"Where have you been I was just getting ready to send a search party out."

"I went to get us a car." Jack answered. "Let's go."

She grabbed the bagged food she had gotten for them and followed him back to the carpool. The young man had the JEEP ready and filled up. They both got in Jack insisted on driving and he drove them off base and than back around to go north.

Trisha gave him directions of where to go and how to get there. When they reached the small road that led into the woods she said, "Ready."

Jack drove through the woods, which was technically behind enemy lines. He parked the JEEP at the end of the road and said, "Guess we are on foot from her out." He led her through the woods up the large hill and onwards.

They spent hours walking and searching for a clearing. Jack stopped at the end of the tree line when he saw the clearing waiting for her to catch up. They walked out into the clearing there was a huge rock in the middle they walked to it and Jack studied the ground looking for anything.

Trisha was resting against the rock when she saw a red dot appear on Jack's chest. She acted quickly knowing what it was she grabbed him and screamed, "Get down." Jack fell quickly to the ground and they heard the loud crack of a rifle.

"Get behind the rock." Jack said moving quickly as he knew the sniper was trying to re-aim. He hid the best he could behind the rock. The ground around them irrupted in gun fire, there was more than one and some were close with assault rifles. Jack pulled out his gun, and asked, "You know how to use a gun?"

"Yeah." Trisha said trying to keep her head low. Jack grabbed the back up weapon he had just got from the MP's today. He handed it to her, and said, "What you see is what you get."

She knew he meant about the ammo and guns. "Ok."

"I'm going to try to lure them away. You stay here and get back to the JEEP have it running. I'll catch up in ten."

"Jack if you go out there you're dead."

"Just trust me and do this." Jack said bracing himself the lifted his head and fire came quickly skimming off the rock and nearly hitting him. He lowered his head again and he knew he had to take a few out before he took off, but he didn't' have much time he figured they were trying to flank them now. Jack took a deep breath and jumped up and took off running as fast as his legs would carry him towards the words, zigging and zagging as he ran trying to make himself a hard target. He reached the woods when he felt a slight burning in his arm. He looked at it and he had just been scraped by a bullet, but it was a minor scratch if that. He kept running through the woods hopefully leading them away from Trisha. Jack was almost up the hill when he stepped on a old piece of wood that gave. Jack felt himself falling and grabbed the ledge with his hand holding on not knowing how far the drop was. He was holding on, but he could feel his fingers slipping off and his arms screaming in pain.

Jack tried to pull himself up, but he saw a man dressed in all black from head to toe standing above him smiling. Jack growled as the man stood on his fingers and than lifted his foot. Jack was sent back falling down the hole hitting the ground with a thud and a scream of pain. Jack sat up quickly through the pain and saw the piece of wood through his calf muscle. Blood was leaking from it slowly pulling on the ground.

Jack looked up helpless. His gun had fallen out of his hand and was a few feet away from him. He looked up and tempted his best glare as the man above stood smiling, or Jack assumed he was smiling. He was getting ready to pull the trigger when he growled when he felt a red hot pain in his side. Someone was shooting at him he quickly ran away not taking the time to finish Jack who was laying on the ground again in pain as he had felt the pain in his head and back from the fall and was having a hard time staying up.

Trisha ran to where the man had been and looked into the hole. Jack lay at the bottom of the hole. He had his eyes clothes and she called down worried, "Jack!"

Jack opened his eyes when he heard her calling. He sat up again groaning. "I thought I told you to go to the car."

"Hey you should be happy I just saved your ass."

Jack smiled at her and said, "Go get help."

"No can do sir. They will come back to finish what they started we have to get you out of there."

"With what a magic rope?" Jack joked.

"No." She looked around trying to find something. She saw an old piece of wood it would have to do. She walked back over to the hole and called, "Can you stand up."

Jack struggled to get to his feet, and groaning as he did, but he was on his feet. She reached down with the board and he grabbed on. She was to weak to pull him out, which meant she was to weak to hold on as he climbed up. "It's not going to work." Jack growled as he put weight on his leg with the wooden piece through it.

"Than what do you recommend mr. negativity?"

Jack thought and than it came to him, "Vines."

"What about them?"

"GO get some. Tie them together and make a rope."

She smiled why didn't she think of that. She ran and found a large group of strong vines. The problem was they where strong and she didn't have a knife on her. She found the piece of wood and used the jagged edge of it to attempt to cut through the tough vines. She struggled tying them together and than around the tree. She lowered the vine down the hole and Jack could barely reach it but that was enough. He grabbed on and struggled he pulled himself up and closed his eyes as he kept pulling himself the vines cutting into his hand some. When he was close enough to the top Trisha grabbed him and helped him up. She than noticed the piece of wood through his leg. "God Jack." She said quickly pulling out a bandanna she had on her she was going to wear to keep the tics from getting into her hair. She said, "I'm going to pull it out so you can move."

Jack shook his head and prepared himself. She yanked it out quickly and Jack cried in pain as he felt the wood tearing through the muscle. She applied the bandana to the wound tying it tightly around the wound. Jack cried in pain as he felt the pressure on it. "Come on lets get back to the Jeep." She helped him up and had him put an arm around her to help him back down the hill to the Jeep.

When they reached the Jeep the tires had been slashed. Jack cussed they didn't have enough tires to fix them all. Jack grabbed out his cell phone but it was smashed from the fall. "Do you have a phone?" Jack asked sitting in the Jeep sore and exhausted.

Trisha pulled out the phone she had brought with her for this little excursion. "I don't have a signal I'm going to run up the hill stay here." She ran to the top of the hill and had one line on the phone hopefully enough to call out on. She dialed the only number she knew back on base.

"Colonel Anderson."

"Sir it's Trisha I need some help now."

"What's wrong?" He said noticing the urgency in her voice.

"I was taking the CID guy Jack out north to see if we couldn't find a spot where the rockets where shot off from. We got ambushed by someone. He got hurt, and they slashed the tires of the Jeep." She gave the quick overview. "Can you come get us we are at the end of the road that leads in to the woods."

"I'll send one of me people now." He said. "Just stay where you are."

"Ok." She said as she lost the connection. She ran back down the hill to find Jack trying to stand up.

"What are you doing?"

"Who did you call?"

"Col. Anderson."

"Did you tell him where we are?"

"Of course how else are they going to find us."

"My point exactly. Come on." Jack said moving limping towards the woods.

"He said to stay put."

"We are only going in a little to hide." Jack didn't trust anyone right now, the people who ambushed them he could have swore were not from the enemy side because of the weapons they were using. Jack sat against a tree inside the woods a little until he saw the Jeep coming up the road. He stay put until the man called out for Trisha. Trisha walked out and Jack followed behind still not trusting anyone.

"Come on let's get ya'll back to camp." The man said.

They climbed into the Jeep and he drove them back to the camp. Jack went to the medical tent while Trisha went to give Col. Thomas more details on what had happened.

Jack watched as the doctor ripped his pants leg and pulled the bloody bandana off the wound. He poured peroxide over it and said, "At least you didn't hit a bone." He cleaned it out roughly and than went to stitching it numbing the area before hand. He wrapped the wound in gauze and said, "Try not getting hurt for a day or two."

Jack smiled, "I'll try."

"If it bothers you come back and I'll give you a pain killer."

"Thanks." Jack stood up and limped out of the building. He walked back to his own tent and noticed it had been rummaged the trunk lid had been smashed open. Jack's clothes were all over the floor and all of the evidence he had the case files, inventories, his note book, and the piece of the rocket were all gone. Jack sat on the bed and put his head in his hands. He now knew it had to be an inside job, and he was ready to kill someone they had just put him fully in the game.

Trisha walked over to Jack's tent and saw it's condition. "God these people don't play."

"They took all the evidence, reports, and even my damn notes." Jack said sitting on the cot clearly exhausted.

"Maybe you should rest some you've been through a lot recently." She said looking at him worried.

"I'm fine." Jack said standing up. He started to pick his stuff up and threw in back in the broken trunk. He couldn't believe his luck. It was this place it had to be. He finished picking everything up and looked at his watch he had a few hours before he knew Jen would be at Little America he had time to waste. He was going to look over his notes again, but they were gone. He sat down at the table and rested his head in his hands.

Trisha walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulders and massaged them gently. Jack closed his eyes and felt himself relax until he remembered where he was at. He pushed himself up even though the massage felt good he couldn't military protocol. "Thanks." He said. "Maybe I'll just rest for awhile."

"Supper tonight at Little America?"

"If you don't mind I want to be alone for awhile. I'm sure you've been neglecting your social life for me." Jack smiled at her.

"Ok." She walked out of the tent.

Jack lay on his cot and closed his eyes his leg was starting to throb. He relaxed for a few hours before he got up, changed out of his clothes, and walked down to little America. When he walked in there was hardly anyone there so he sat down at the bar and ordered a beer. The bartender served him and left him alone clearly telling when a man wanted to be alone. Jack was on his third beer when Jen walked in with a group of people. Jack sipped at his drink not paying attention to her. He was halfway through it when she sly came and sat next to him.

She smiled, "I'm going to pick you up tonight so play along."

Jack laughed at her but never looked at her.

She whispered into his ear that they were watching so make it good. Jack turned to her after she whispered in his ear and motioned for the bartender to get her something to drink and him another drink. They talked for an hour as if they were getting to know each other. Jack was flirting with her when he saw Trisha walk in with Colonel Anderson. Trisha frowned when she saw Jack sitting at the bar with the Sgt that had been smiling at him, and she had been joking with him about.

She was so angry when she saw the woman lean over, as she had already been sitting extremely close to him and whisper into his ear and bite it softly. Trisha was going to walk over when she saw Jack pay the bill and stumble out with the woman back towards the camp. She was pissed to see that, men were assholes, she thought as she sat down with the Col to talk about what had happened that day.

Jen grabbed Jack by the hand and he stumbled back with him to the tent. When they got inside she closed the flaps and Jack went to sit down.

She smiled, "We got to make this believable someone is watching you. I heard what happened today. Are you ok?"

"Yeah just a scratch." Jack said uncomfortable about the situation again.

"Come on Jack. I know you've had one night stand before." She smiled at him. They both knew this would be more than just a one night stand.

Jack stood up and walked over to her. He could have swore he heard someone outside, but she pulled his face to hers and kissed him. He knew if there was someone outside he would only have to go through this more as to not blow her cover. She unbuttoned his shirt kissing his chest as she slowly pulled it off his hands. Jack unbuttoned her shirt while she was working on his pants. He undid her brawl and moved on to her pants as she reached inside his boxers and started to fondle him.

They both stepped out of their pants and moved to the small cot. She lay down and he got on top of her. He moved down to pulling her panties off when he felt her hands on his head guiding him between her legs. Knowing what she wanted he smiled as he heard her groan in pleasure as he started to tongue her. (USE UR IMGINATION FOR THE REST FOLKS).

Finally he finished and he lay next to her his leg throbbing more than before. He was drunk and tired. He felt her move down and he grabbed her pulling her up, "Enough" He said.

She smiled, "What's wrong old man?"

Jack smiled and kissed her. "Later." He closed his eyes and passed out with her lying next to him. Jack woke when he felt her moving out of the bed.

She whispered, "I got to get back to the hotel go back to sleep."

Jack fell back asleep after she left. He didn't know what time it was when he felt a pair of hand's pulling him out of the bed. He groaned as he landed on the ground and tried to fight, but was to late when the same pair of hands turned him over onto his stomach and grabbed his hands tying them behind his back. Jack tried to struggle until the butt of the M-16 came down against the back of his head knocking him out.

Jack awoke when he felt his arms being raised above his head. He blinked a few times it was freezing and he felt naked because he was still. When he realized he was he had to force his face to stay straight as he realized he was hanging by his hands. He looked around he was in a forest hanging in the middle of the night, naked and freezing cold. He turned his head and was blinded by the light of a car. He couldn't see much past it and struggled with the rope until a man all in black came into view. He spoke in a harsh voice, "Jack I thought we warned you. And you think today would have been enough. But you are one stupid son of a bitch aren't you?"

Jack saw the strap of the M-16 in his hand, the metal clips glistening in the bright light from the headlights replied, "You know I'm not really into the S and M stuff."

"Funny. We'll see if you're still cracking jokes later. I hate having to do this, but we warned you." Jack felt the M-16 strap smack against his back leaving a welt on his back, but not digging through he couldn't help crying out in pain. The man hit the same spot again this time with enough force that the M-16 strap cut into Jack's back and not just the metal but the leather strap itself. Jack cried out loudly and the man said, "I'd be quiet if I were you."

He hit Jack with the M-16 strap he was so good at it that he kept hitting very close to the same spot each time with force enough to cut into Jack's back. After about ten minutes Jack stopped crying out because his back went numb. The man stopped when he noticed the screams stopped. "This is no fun Jack." He said walking up and pushing Jack's head up. "Now listen to me if someone finds you before the one of those bastards do and you live through the night, I'd stop the searching and go home." The man smiled and let Jack's head fall back down. Jack heard the car pull away and he struggled with what little energy he had left to pull at the rope, but he couldn't get it to loosen.

Trisha woke the next morning at her normal hour and walked over to Jack's tent to wake him up, but than she remembered seeing him with the woman the other night and just kept walking to the women latrine. She went to breakfast alone, and went back to her tent that doubled as her office to do work. She got lost in her work when finally she looked at her watch it was well past noon and she still had not heard from Jack. She walked into the tent to find his clothes on the floor, but his cot empty. She found it odd he still had his clothes strung on the floor from the night before. She walked to the MP post she had seen the woman at earlier that day and asked her, "That man you were last night when did you leave his tent?"

"Excuse me ma'am?" Jen answered trying to play it off, though everyone knew she had been with Jack last night as they had bothered her about it that morning.

"I know you were with him and I don't care about that. He's not in his tent now and nowhere to be seen. When did you leave his tent?"

"Around midnight." Jen answered getting worried herself.

"Ok. If you see him send him my way please." Trisha didn't know what to do she searched the base again and walked back to little America and the streets around the base not finding him. She went back to the camp and found Colonel Anderson in his office.

"Major Bauer is missing."

"What do you mean?" Col Thomas Anderson said looking at her.

"He's gone."

"Probably at that girls place still." Thomas joked remembering how angry Trisha seemed to be after she saw them stumble out together.

"I already asked her they were in his tent, and she left him at midnight. His clothes are still on the floor and that's not like him. I think something happened to him."

"I'll have my men search the camp for him."

"I already did that sir. I don't know where he is. I searched the surrounding area's also sir. This is not like him he would not have left without informing me sir."

"I'll have my men look into." He said looking at her.

For some reason she thought they wouldn't be looking to hard. "Thank you sir."


	9. Chapter 9

Jack's mind was gone from the cold and the pain when he heard something approaching. The bugs of the night had already come and tormented him. He was sure at any moment a wolf or whatever they had in these parts would come to finish him off. He was so cold, but he was fighting himself to stay awake he knew what would happened if he fell asleep. He felt the hand gently touch him and he tried to talk, but he was so cold his mouth only shook and the words were in decipherable.

Colonel Thomas Anderson had gone out looking through the woods for Jack after Trisha came to him about Jack being missing. He found Jack in the same woods they had been in the other day. He walked over and touched Jack gently to see if he was even still alive, the pulse was weak but than he saw Jack's jaw moving. He grabbed out the knife from his pocket and cut Jack down. He wasn't able to grab Jack before he fell to the ground. The Col took of the coat he had on as it was about fifty degrees out and cold, and draped it gently over Jack as he reached down and grabbed Jack's arms pulling him up and dragging him back to the Jeep. He put Jack in the passenger seat and refixed the coat over him so when they drove into the camp Jack would not be fully exposed. He was worried about setting Jack's back against the seat as he had seen they had clearly lashed the him, but he had to there was no other way to get him back to camp. He drove quickly as he saw Jack shaking uncontrollably in the seat next to him, Jack's lips were a light blue color and his skin was pale white and freezing to the touch.

The guards let him in taking notice of the CID man in the passenger seat. The Col drove directly to the medical building and got a doctor to come out and a blanket. They wrapped the blanket around Jack gently and loaded him onto the stretcher. The doctor and nurse moved Jack inside. The Col went inside to see where they were taking him and once they assured him they would call him as soon as they got the patient stable the Col left to go back to his office.

The doctors laid Jack on his stomach and put the heating blanket over him so that they could control how they brought Jack's temperature back to normal, to quickly and the blood cells would explode from the sudden expansion. They slowly warmed him up again, Jack shaking through the process feeling as if they were trying to freeze him more as his body could not comprehend what was going on. The doctor had to sedate him as he was trying to move and fight. When they got Jack's body temperature to a level that he was no longer in danger for heart failure, or any of the other symptoms that accompany hypothermia the nurse went to gently cleaning the dried blood on Jack's back. When she finished the doctor looked at the cuts and decided to stitch a few of the worse ones up. When he finished they covered Jack with the warming blanket again and left him to rest.

Trisha was searching the camp again when word of someone finding Jack got back to her. She rushed to his tent not to find him there. She knew the next logical place he would be so she rushed to the hospital. She found him after searching the hallways asleep in a room. She walked in and saw him on his stomach with a warming blanket over him. She walked over and lifted the blanket up to see him lying under it completely naked and his back cut up. She knew what it was from and she quickly put the blanket back down.

A doctor walked into the room and asked, "Can I help you miss?"

"I'm Captain Trisha Fager JAG. He's my partner."

He smiled at her remembering who she was he didn't' have much connections with JAG, but he did remember her after she introduced herself. "He's lucky." The doctor said taking Jack's blood pressure and checking his vitals.

"Why's that?"

"No major frostbite nothing has to be amputated." The doctor said slowly turning Jack over onto his back and flashing the light in his eyes. He must have gotten the response he wanted because he pushed Jack back onto his stomach and was getting ready to leave, but Trisha interrupted him with a question.

"Why is he so out of it?"

"Earlier he was fighting. I don't think he understood that we were warming him. The body has a funny reaction when it has been in the extreme cold and has gotten acclimated or even slightly acclimated as you start to warm it again it thinks it's getting colder when reality your really just defrosting it. He started fighting us and I assume it was over that. We sedated him so we could finish the process and tend to his back without him having to feel all of it also."

"So he's going to be fine?"

"Should be going to be painful when he wakes up and it looks like this is the only beaten he's taken recently. But he should be fine. I'd recommend a lot of rest and relaxation." The doctor said looking back at Jack who was still out of it.

"Who brought him in doctor?"

"Colonel Thomas Anderson." The doctor said, "If that is all I really need to get on my way more patients to see."

"Thank you doctor." Trisha walked over and put her hand gently on Jack's check it still felt cold even though it now had some color to it. She ran back to her tent quickly to grab her work she was going to move to the hospital for now on she was watching him day and night to keep him out of trouble or to keep trouble away from him. She was working on a case of a soldier missing work therefore dereliction of duty when Colonel Anderson walked into the room.

"It's a pleasant surprise to find you here." He said walking in.

"Where did you find him?"

"About twenty yards from where they picked you two up yesterday."

"Do you think he was out there all night?"

"Probably."

"Who do you think did it? It has to be the same people who been messing with him the past few days."

"I don't know."

"You still think it's outsiders?"

"Yeah no one on the inside has any reason to deter is investigation."

"But how did they get on base, how did they know his tent, and when to hit it?" She said looking at him. She had a theory of her own, and Jen was behind it all. She had been trying to get to Jack the past few days and the night she finally did this happened?

"I just can't think of anyone in camp that would have a stake in it. Maybe a person helping them on and off, but not actually behind the actions themselves." The Colonel said looking at Jack who stirred slightly in the bed.

Trisha decided to shut her mouth and said, "Yeah I guess that makes sense." She had another theory hatching in her mind at the moment. She looked over to see Jack's eyes open halfway and he was clearly struggling to figure out where he was. She walked over and gently touched him.

She felt really bad when he flinched away, "It's ok Jack. You're in the hospital. It's ok." She said seeing the confusion on his face. "Colonel Anderson found you this morning."

Jack's eyes closed again and he was back to sleep as quickly as he had woken up. She went back to her chair and the Colonel excused himself to go do some more work.

Jen was at her post when she got a call over the radio that Colonel Thomas Anderson wanted to see her. She left her partner at the post and ran to the Colonels office doing the entire little report in of snapping to attention saluting and saying the right words than lowering the salute only after he returned it.

"Have a seat Sgt. Zoey or should I call you Jen?" He smiled at her.

Jen sat down and looked at him, "I don't know what you are talking about sir."

"Stop the bull crap ok. I know who you are have your record right here." He opened the file for her to see. "I know you are investigating my men and I know CTU sent you and I'm pretty sure Jack is your decoy boy. He takes all the heat off you while you sneak in the back door am I right?"

Jen didn't answer him she wouldn't give Jack away like that not now.

"Don't' answer I know the truth. Take this deal back to your people as I know you have already found out about all of our little extra-circular actives and even knew about the little party for Jack last night. What gets me is he use to be one of you guys and you played right into our hands and helped us. You got him drunk than made sure he would be tired enough not to hear the men come to his tent. You are one cold hard bitch and CTU is one cold hearted bastard cuz this isn't the first time that they've done this to him. So this is what you're going to do. Go back to your people and tell them we will help them bring down the people we are dealing with or at least help them get someone inside their group, but it's not going to be easy since they've been calling for a certain somebody's blood. That's why I went out and got him this morning because he's a powerful bargaining chip. Seems he pissed the people off by first killing their leaders family, taking their leader hostage, than finishing him off along with his sons in L.A. later on. He even stopped the agent they turned against him and the hole little plan to pay the people back. They want him so bad that they were willing to give me anything I wanted, but I held off because he was one of yours. You talk to your people and see if they are interested in a deal."

"I will sir." Jen said getting up. "Anything else?"

"Why don't you do it now. Here's the phone." He handed her the phone and dialed the number.


End file.
